Christmas, Another Way

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

The wise men who see the star in the east, journey to worship the Christ child. Following this star and worshipping the Christ child can be seen as a metaphor for the inner experience of superconscious meditation.

In order to meditate, we calm mental restlessness by focusing on an object of perception. The object can be anything that is soothing to the mind such as a mantra, or the perception of inner sound, or inner light. With steady concentration on a single point of focus, the mental field becomes clear. When restless thought activity no longer distracts our attention, our awareness naturally flows into meditation. We initially meditate on an object of perception but then go beyond that, to the direct experience of our essential nature. This essential nature is beyond all phenomena or change; it is eternal.

The “star in the east” can be seen in meditation as the inner light at the ajna chakra or third eye center. This light may be perceived as a sliver-white star in a field of blue surrounded by a golden halo. The colors represent the creative process of Supreme Consciousness. The gold represents the vibratory energy and power of Om. The dark blue represents Consciousness pervading all of creation, the Christ consciousness. The white, star-like light represents Supreme Consciousness beyond all phenomena.

Viewed metaphysically, the journey of the wise men is an inner mystical journey through superconscious meditation to realize the Christ consciousness within. They “follow the star in the east”—concentrate on the inner light perceived at the third eye—until their awareness comes to rest in their essential nature. The wise men themselves represent our awakened faculty of discernment, the purified intellect in which the light of the true Self can be revealed.

Consciously abiding in our essential nature beyond thought or phenomena is the experience that is truly transforming. While perceptions of phenomena may encourage our spiritual quest, only the direct experience of our essential nature transforms our knowing.

Once the wise men experience the Christ, the story tells us they do not return to Herod. They do not return to the ego-based identity. The greatest gift of this holy day for every person is the gift of Self- and God-realization. This and this alone, brings new life. Those who discover it “return to their own country another way.”

Practice: Meditate more deeply today with the intention to experience superconsciousness. Once you have closed your eyes and interiorized your attention, focus at the spiritual eye slightly above and between the eyebrows. Feel as if you are breathing through this chakra center. With inhalation, inwardly listen to the word Om, with exhalation, inwardly listen to the word God. Om, God.

When the mental field becomes quiet, let the mantra fall away but keep your inner gaze focused at the spiritual eye. Feel as if you are looking into the distance of inner space. If you perceive a field of blue light or a steady white or gold light, gently focus your attention there.  Remain inwardly attentive and relaxed. Be curious about this inner journey. Wait and watch in the silence, looking and listening within. Meditate for as long as you are able to stay alert.

Conclude this meditation by offering prayers for the entire world. Bless every person, everywhere on this holy day, with your wishes for their complete well-being and spiritual realization.

Contemplate: The more conscious you are of the omnipresent Reality in which you abide, the easier it will be for you to know that all you need for your complete well-being is available to you. You will not have to ask for anything or use a lot of effort to accomplish your inspired purposes. You will live with graceful ease in harmonious accord with the rhythms of life.  
    –Roy Eugene Davis

Reflect:Am I willing to envision going “another way” to embrace a new life?

Christmas Eve, In This Lifetime

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

The birth of Christ, the revelation of God with us, is an eternally present possibility. God is the eternal life of every person. No one has ever been, or will ever be, separate from the one Reality that is God. The birth awaited on Christmas Eve is the realization of this truth, the dawning of it in our consciousness and the fulfillment of its promise in our world. The Christ that is to be born must be born in the hearts (the essential nature) of people. Since we are all expressions of God, this awakening is our certain destiny. Sooner or later, what we truly are will be known. Why not commit ourselves to this awakening now, in this lifetime?

The greatest impediment to the dawning of this essential realization is the tendency to cling to a mistaken sense of self by identifying ourselves as mortal beings with a soul instead of recognizing that we are souls expressing through a mind and body. Once we understand our true nature as spiritual, then we can open ourselves to experiencing it directly. Knowledge of our true nature and the direct experience of it is realization. This is the birth of a new consciousness and a new way of living.

The enlightened ones through the ages, including Jesus, have proclaimed the truth of our spiritual nature, encouraged us to discover that truth, and live by it. On Christmas Eve, a time when hearts all over the world are turned to God, and the spiritual vibrations of hope and faith permeate the atmosphere, let us kindle the light of commitment to spiritual awakening. The peace that we pray for in our world, the love we hope for, and the joy we welcome are natural expressions of spiritual awakening. What the world most needs is this awakening. Let us pray for it today, and believe in our hearts it is possible for us now.

Practice: Welcome the idea that spiritual enlightenment is your certain destiny. Know that at the core of your being you are already enlightened, a pure expression of the one divine life of God. Identify Self- and God-realization as your life’s purpose and goal. Consider any changes you want to make to arrange conditions in your life to support that goal. Decide which change should be the first step. Make a plan and begin it today. Walk in faith towards your goal.

Contemplate: By your own right endeavors and God’s grace, liberation of consciousness can be realized in your current incarnation. Your right endeavors allow rapid spiritual growth to naturally occur. Because of the inherent inclinations of Supreme Consciousness to express more freely as and through units of itself, the more receptive and responsive you are to its inclinations to be nurturing and transformative, the more evidence of grace you will have in your life.    –Roy Eugene Davis

Reflect:Can I accept the possibility of enlightenment in this lifetime? Am I able to fully embrace it as my life purpose?

Fourth Week of Advent, Friday: Protecting New Life

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

The transformation of Joseph that takes place in the Advent story is indicative of the change that can take place in our understanding when we have a spiritual experience. Joseph’s mind is changed; it is transformed by his inner experience. When he is confronted with the dilemma of his pregnant fiancé, he uses his mind to try to find a solution. The scripture says that while he is thinking about what to do, an angel comes to him in a dream and reveals the spiritual nature of what is occurring. He follows the inspiration to accept Mary as his wife and welcome this new life.

Joseph’s first response to what is occurring is to try to figure it out. But there are times when the spiritual inspiration that is trying to be expressed our lives cannot be contained or fully understood by the thinking mind. Thus, Joseph has a spiritual experience in a dream—an intuitive insight that expands his ability to embrace this change. There are times when we too must look beyond what the mind can fully comprehend and open ourselves to deeper insight to help us move forward with faith.

After the child is born, Joseph has another dream that instructs him to keep the child safe from Herod, who would seek to destroy the child. The awakened faculty of discernment is guided by the higher true Self, not directed by ego. When the mental field has been purified and transformed through spiritual realization, it can then serve Truth. Joseph represents the mind that becomes purified and acts in accordance with Truth. When our mind is clear and our faculty of discernment is purified, spiritual realization is protected from the ego, from doubts and fears that might obscure it.

Practice: To bring more clarity and understanding to a situation in your life, use the example of Joseph. Think about the situation and consider your options, but then open yourself to direct, intuitive insight that does not depend on logic. When reasoning something through does not satisfy the heart, be willing to wait until deeper knowing is revealed. Remember that we all have within us the ability to know the truth and be divinely guided.

Contemplate: Colors blind the eye.
Sounds deafen the ear.
Flavors numb the taste.
Thoughts weaken the mind.
Desires wither the heart.
The Master observes the world
but trusts his inner vision.   —Tao te Ching, v. 12 Stephen Mitchell, trans.

Reflect:Do I have the patience to wait until clarity arises within me?

Fourth Week of Advent, Thursday: The True Self

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

Many years ago I offered contemplation and meditation retreats during Advent to explore how the themes of the season could inspire our inner lives. One of the retreat exercises was to read the stories of the birth of Jesus from the gospels of Luke and Matthew and reflect on all of the elements of the story—including the people, animals, stars, and angels. Participants were invited to consider what quality these characters might represent to them. Perhaps the ox has you think about being steadfast, or of being “yoked”, tied to something that guides your life. The star brings to mind being guided by a vision, and so forth.

After an introduction to viewing the story metaphysically, participants would each draw a slip of paper with the name of a character or element from the story—could be the donkey, Mary, a shepherd, the manger, or any of the other parts. The person who drew the Christ child and the person who drew Herod often had very different experiences. What I found interesting was that year after year, the same thing would occur. The person with the invitation to reflect on the Christ child would find it mysterious, sometimes even difficult to connect to. But, time and again, the person drawing Herod would have no trouble recognizing the qualities he represents.

Herod is easily recognizable as the false self, the ego that must control everything in order to maintain his position. Herod demands to know where and what time the Christ child is born. He says he wants to worship him too but the wise men see through his cunning and do not return to inform him. Although Herod has a powerful role in the story, it is fitting that he is not included at the scene of the birth. The false self, which insists on being separate from God, cannot remain when the light of the true Self dawns.

Practice:
Contemplate the qualities of Christ, of our divine nature. Make a list of them—love, peace, compassion, generosity and more. All of these qualities of God exist within us and are meant to be expressed through us. One of the practices in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra instructs us to purify our hearts and our minds by contemplating the lives and consciousness of spiritually enlightened people who are free from attachment. Contemplate the life of a saint or sage who inspires you. Imagine what it would be like to experience that awakened consciousness. Know that same divine consciousness is within you.

Contemplate: It is only because of ignorance that the Self appears to be finite. When ignorance is banished, the Self, which does not admit to any multiplicity, reveals itself by itself like the sun when a cloud is removed.  –Shankara

When the fluctuations in one’s mind and awareness are transcended during meditation and consciousness is purified, the supreme Self is realized. –Lahiri Mahasaya

Reflect:Am I willing to claim my true identity and take responsibility for cultivating the divine qualities within me?

Fourth Week of Advent, Wednesday: Spiritual Friendship

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

When the angel Gabriel announces to Mary the miraculous birth that will come through her, he tells her that her cousin Elizabeth will also experience a miraculous birth. He informs her that her cousin, who is older and was considered infertile, is now in her sixth month of pregnancy. There is hardly a pause in the story between the lines “and the angel departed from her” and “Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste…and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.” Something is happening in their inner lives that draws them together immediately and powerfully. It is possible to feel the excitement, energy, inspiration or curiosity that has Mary move so quickly to visit Elizabeth. She is not disappointed with what she finds. Divine grace permeates their meeting and further expands their joy. 

When Mary enters the house and Elizabeth hears her greeting, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaps. Spiritually quickened by this encounter, Elizabeth speaks out to affirm Mary’s transformation and the blessed nature of the child within her. In this context of affirmation, Mary is inspired to offer praises to God and a vision for an awakened world.

One of the themes of this part of the story is the significance of spiritual friendship. Through their meeting, both women are inspired, affirmed, and encouraged to trust their deepest inner experience. In the atmosphere of spiritual recognition, they share their visions. In the light of spiritual friendship, God’s omnipresence is revealed between us as well as within us. When we experience divine grace permeating our relationships, our faith can be strengthened, as it was for Mary and for Elizabeth.

Practice: Appreciate and encourage divine grace in your spiritual friendships by focusing on conversation that is uplifting, and supportive of living a God-centered life. Be committed to lifting one another up through positive conversation, examples of virtuous conduct, and gratitude for the grace that you experience. 

Contemplate:
Friendship gently reminds us of our one true Companion, God.
   -Paramahansa Yogananda

Reflect:
Reflect on how spiritual friendships have been an important part of your spiritual journey of awakening. How have you been encouraged by others to deepen your faith? How have you been a source of encouragement to others?

Fourth Week of Advent, Tuesday: Dynamic Balance

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

The accounts of the birth of Jesus in the gospels of Luke and Matthew are different. In fact, they are vastly different. What are we to make of this? The account in Matthew tells the story of the visiting kings and the attempted intervention of Herod. Luke makes no mention of that but tells us of the shepherds who were inspired by a vision in the night and came to adore the child. Luke gives us perspective of Mary’s experience, Matthew focuses on Joseph.

If we don’t lock ourselves into a purely literal reading of the texts, we can hold these differences together and discover some insights about the inner story that are valuable to us. Taken together, they affirm different qualities within us that are essential to our own wholeness.

The story in Luke is primarily focused on feminine qualities. Here we find Mary’s experience and her demonstration of the complete receptivity of the soul. In many traditions the soul—whether it is the soul of a man or a woman—is seen as feminine due to its receptive nature. The soul is, of course, beyond gender. To name it feminine is to affirm its primary quality as being receptive to God. The presence and power of God gives life to the soul and the soul is entirely receptive of that life. In Luke we also read the story of the shepherds and learn of their humility, earthy, and intuitive qualities—all considered feminine in nature. In Matthew, the focus is on Joseph. Joseph’s first response to learning of the impending birth is to use his rational mind to try to figure out the best way to deal with it. He then has a dream, which gives him a revelation beyond thought. The wise men, too, show this rational bent as they inquire “Where is he that is born king of the Jews?” The logical, rational inclination associated with thought is considered a masculine quality.

When we explore the story by holding the accounts side by side, we can see that feminine qualities of devotion, surrender, and intuition are essential and so are the masculine qualities of reason, discernment, and decisive action. The feminine quality of devotion and receptivity without clear discernment can become too sentimental or fail to take action on the inspiration. The masculine quality of reason without surrender and devotion can become too arrogant and self-willed. A balance of feminine receptivity and masculine action is ideal.

Practice:

Reflect on how you experience the balance of your masculine and feminine qualities. Do you tend to be too emotional or passive? Too “heady” or intellectual in your approach? In yoga, the ideal path is one that integrates Bhakti, the way of devotion, with Jnana, the way of wisdom. Making sure that our sadhana or spiritual practice includes prayer and surrender as well as study and contemplation is a first step in cultivating balance.

Contemplate:

All things have their backs to the female
and stand facing the male.
When male and female combine,
all things achieve harmony.
     —Tao te Ching, v 42, Stephen Mitchell, trans.

Reflect:

Am I being invited to cultivate more balance in my life?

Fourth Week of Advent, Monday: A Time for Prayer

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

…without prayer there is no inward peace.
    – Mahatma Gandhi

The metaphysical approach to prayer is never about fixing a problem we want help with.  Instead, prayer provides a way enter divine communion, where there the problem no longer exists.  It is not that the problem is fixed through prayer.  Through prayer, we relinquish the sense of being a separate self and consciously participate in harmony and divine order.  In this state of consciousness, we are not asking for a solution to our problems or even asking God to provide inspiration or direction.  Rather, there simply is no problem.  We are not asking for doors of opportunity to be shown to us so that we may escape our difficulties.  In mystical prayer, there is no problem to be fixed or difficulty to escape.

Now we see why it is said that the spiritual path becomes narrow and difficult, because from our human perspective, we rail at this teaching.  “Wait a minute!  Of course there is a problem, and I am suffering.  How can you say there is no problem?  I can see the problem, and the world has a lot of problems and a lot of suffering too!”  From this perspective, there is a very real problem, and that is why we have come to God in prayer. We want help with our problems and we do not want our problems dismissed as unreal or unimportant.  It sounds dangerously like denial to affirm that problems are not real, fly into some spiritual solution, and imagine it will all go away.

Yes, the problem is real, and the suffering is very real.  The teachings do not deny that nor do they suggest we try to imagine them away.  But here is the key to spiritual understanding:  whatever the problem is, it is a changeable condition.  It is a human condition that was brought about by certain causes and it is always subject to the laws of change.  In and of itself no human problem has any power to sustain itself.  A condition has no independent power.  There is only one power—and that power is God.  Only God is all-powerful, eternal, and unchanging.  In prayer, we cease to believe that the problem itself is powerful, that it has any power of its own, that it is fixed or unchanging, or that it can be solved from the level of human consciousness that brought it about.  We cease believing in two powers, trying to pit one against the other.  We believe only God has power, and in our prayer we intend to rest in that power.  In this way we do not deny the problem but we see through its insubstantial nature, and come to rest in divine truth and harmony.  Divine consciousness is unity consciousness:  God is one.  In unity consciousness, there is no separate self with a problem.  There is no duality; not two powers.  There’s only God, one power of love and divine harmony.

Practice:

The best time for prayer is after meditation, when thought activity has subsided and the mental field is clear. Spend some time in prayer after your meditation today by inwardly cultivating the awareness that all is in divine order. Feel this to be true. “Pray your way through” any inner conversation about conditions until you consciously abide in wholeness, aware that all will ever be well in God.

Contemplate:
An affirmative prayer:

Beloved God:

Your one divine light—the Light that is the life of all the world—

ever shines in the sanctuary of my soul.

Though it has been obscured—clouded over by wrong ideas, by thoughts of separation from Thee, by pride and self-will—it is shining still.

It is shining now.

Though Winter is here and the days grow darker,

my soul light is becoming brighter.

I release the past. I free myself from the tyranny of conditions.

They hold no power over me.

I kindle the light of divine remembrance.

Today I claim my true identity.

I am truly blessed. I am highly favored.

I see everyone in the light of Truth.

Amen

Reflect:
I am willing to release my belief in the power of conditions and welcome God as the only power in my life?

Fourth Week of Advent Sunday: A Useful Mantra

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

And when Zacharias saw him he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not…
—Luke 1:12, 13

One of the things that happen consistently in several of the Advent stories is that when the angel appears to bring good news—news of the coming of the Christ, the announcement of new life, joy, and peace—the first response is not joy or praise, but fear. In each story, this initial reaction to the divine inspiration is accompanied by the angel’s mantra: Fear not.

Fear is our usual, innate reaction to anything unknown that threatens life as we know it. The Advent story is about a new spiritual identity destined to overturn the rule of the ego, bringing about new life through a fundamental change in consciousness. This is unsettling to the ego to say the least. It is not unusual for devotees on the spiritual path to have this experience of fear or contraction in the light of the soul’s readiness to express more fully. Sometimes we experience fear when we know we have been called to step into a new way of living—perhaps speaking our truth when we have previously held back, or seeking a new line of work that is more in harmony with our life purpose, or being inspired to give more generously than we have before. Any of these behaviors can trigger ego’s alarm system which has been put in place as a protective mechanism. When we experience this, we can use our discernment to reveal what the fear is based on.

Sometimes this contraction of fear is experienced in meditation. Samadhi, or experiences of superconsciousness, require us to let go in order for our awareness to expand into our higher Self. When this expansion of consciousness occurs, it can be joyful and yet provoke an ego-based reaction. People say things like, “I was meditating and I felt so much joy arising, and then I got scarred and my meditation experience stopped.” Or, “my breath got so quiet it stopped. It was so peaceful but then I became afraid and my thoughts interrupted the meditation.” The fear comes from holding on to the body-mind as our primary identity, instead of knowing that we are actually returning to consciously rest in our true nature as spiritual beings.

Remembering our essential nature as unbounded supreme Consciousness, knowing that we are spiritual beings expressing through mind and body can help us step into these expansive experiences. Walking in faith, we can say to ourselves: fear not.  

Practice:

Notice thoughts and feelings that arise that are based in fear, particularly as they arise in relation to new, positive behaviors. Inquire into those thoughts and feelings. Discern what their origin is. Notice what changes as you shift your attention and awareness from identifying with body, mind, and ego and embrace your essential true nature.

Contemplate:

The Blessed Lord spoke: Whence has this timidity of yours come to you in time of danger?... Do not become a coward, Arjuna. This is not suitable to you. Abandoning base faintheartedness, Stand up, Arjuna!               
 –words of Krishna to Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita 2.2-3

Reflect:

When have I noticed fear arising? Does it coincide with expanding my potential?

Third Week of Advent, Saturday: A Fitting Place

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. –Luke 2:16

The gospel of Luke identifies the birthplace of Jesus as a lowly stable, where a manger becomes his cradle. This imagery provides us with profound lessons to consider concerning our spiritual journey of Self- and God-realization or awakening to the Christ within. The simple humility of the stable is a stark contrast to palaces, the usual birthplace for one who is called a prince, or a king. Not a gilded bed but a manger, a simple feeding trough, is the place that receives this child. What inspiration can we draw from this?

Inwardly, the manger represents that place in us that receives the Christ revelation. This is our mind and consciousness. In order to be receptive to the revelation of divine Truth, the “cradle of our consciousness” must be purified—cleansed of pride, self-will, and worldly attachments. Thus the manger is a fitting symbol. It is lowly, open, and a place of nourishment. Ordinarily it contains food or water, that which sustains life. Here, we understand nourishment to be the presence of God that sustains and supports all life.

Spiritual teachings in the tradition of yoga point out that we cannot create a spiritual condition. We cannot make ourselves more spiritual, cause the inner Christ to awaken in us, or make Self-realization occur. This is because our essential nature is already spiritual, already a perfect expression of God. The Christ of God is already awake within us. Our spiritual nature is unconditional; it is without cause. Nothing we do can change it. Rightly understood, our spiritual practice is not to create “a spiritual self”, but to arrange conditions (both inwardly and outwardly) that allow our essential nature to be realized. We purify the mind through devotion, pranayama, prayer, mantra and meditation so that it becomes a fit receptacle to receive the Christ within.

Practice:

Alternate nostril breathing is an effective tool for purifying the mental field and enhancing the flow of vital force that enlivens the body and mind. By using this simple tool to regulate the breath, this process balances the subtle energy in our system. This results in relaxation, mental clarity, emotional calmness and enhanced intuition. Follow these simple steps:

• Sit in an upright, relaxed meditation posture.
• Use the fingers on your right hand to alternately close your right and left nostrils in the following way:

1. First, breathe in and out completely through both nostrils.
2. Then, gently hold the right nostril closed while you breathe in through the left. Pause for a moment after inhalation.
3. Close the left nostril and exhale through the right.
4. With the left still closed, immediately breathe in through the right, and then gently hold.
5. Close the right nostril and breathe out through the left.
6. Begin again as in step two

• This is one complete round. Practice six to ten rounds, gently. Notice any changes in the mental field.

Contemplate:
I will prepare for the coming of the Omnipresent baby Christ by cleaning the cradle of my consciousness, now rusty with selfishness, indifference, and sense attachments; and by polishing it with deep, daily divine meditation, introspection, and discrimination.
–Paramahansa Yogananda
 

Reflect:

Am I trying to become more spiritual? Am I willing to accept my divine identity, knowing that I am already made in the image of God?

Third Week of Advent, Friday: Keeping Watch

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. –Luke 2:8

In that same country, “in that same consciousness”, where the Christ is born, are the shepherds who are keeping watch. We can associate the shepherds with the qualities of mindfulness, meditative awareness, devotion, and concentration. They keep watch, paying attention throughout the night. The sheep they tend are like thoughts that can wander in any direction. The job of the shepherd is to be awake and aware, take notice and stay focused. This is an apt description of the skills we need if we want to be successful in meditation.

In the “field”—or within their consciousness that has been quieted by concentration—a light appears. This light announces the Christ, the light of God within us. An angel brings a message of peace and great joy—the Christ has come! The shepherds’ story can be viewed metaphysically as the revelation of the Christ within that occurs when the mental field is calm and quiet. When the inner light of the Christ consciousness is perceived at the spiritual eye, it is often accompanied by the experience of bliss, or great joy. This is the joy of Self-knowing, as we recognize the light of God that reveals our spiritual nature.

The Advent teaching to “keep watch” encourages us to bring greater focus and attention to our meditation practice. When we focus our attention on a single point, the restless activity of thought subsides and the mental field becomes receptive to the revelation of Self-knowing. We can also let it remind us that this quality of mindful attention is useful at all times. We are reminded to stay open and receptive to divine insight.

Practice:

In Patanjali’s eight-limbed system for experiencing superconscious meditation, concentration is identified as the precursor to meditation. We concentrate on something that has a soothing effect on the mind, such as observing our breath or mentally repeating a mantra.

When you use a tool for concentration to prepare for meditation, observe the effect that it has on your mental field. As we become more proficient at concentrating on a single point, we can perceive a change in the quality of our attention. Concentration requires a degree of effort. In the initial stage of concentration, attention wanders and we must direct it again and again to our chosen focus. However, once the mental field becomes purified and calm, attention will naturally flow into a meditative state. It is no longer obstructed by restlessness.

Watch for the moment when concentration becomes meditation. Then let go of the technique and simply “abide in the field” of divine consciousness.

Contemplate:

The pageantry of Jesus’ coming to earth lacked no detail of symbolic significance. As with the shepherds on the hillside, the shepherds of man’s faith, devotion, and meditation will be bathed in the light of realization and lead those devotees who are humble in spirit to behold the infinite presence of Christ newborn within them. –Paramahansa Yogananda

Reflect:

How dedicated am I to my meditation practice? Do I bring the quality of devotion or focused attention to it? How might I enhance my practice?

Third Week of Advent, Thursday: The Inner Tree

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

All my thoughts are decorating the Christmas tree of meditation with the rare gifts of devotion, sealed with golden heart-prayers that Christ may come and receive my humble gifts. 
– Paramahansa Yogananda

One of the first heralds of Christmastime in our neighborhood is the corner city lots that fill up with evergreen trees overnight. The rows of cut trees seem to invite passersby to take them home, decorate them, and let the festive season begin. Among those who follow a religious, spiritual, or even cultural tradition of tree trimming there are many ways to engage in the ritual. Even if it is not part of your tradition or your personal inclination to put up a tree, the presence of Christmas trees is undeniable in the Advent season—whether in homes, on front lawns, in offices, government buildings, or shops. Many people treasure their annual ritual of finding a tree and decorating it, perhaps in ways that honor long-standing family traditions. Others approach it as a chore, one more thing to do in an already busy time. For those on the path of Self- and God-realization, this ubiquitous tree offers some rich symbolism for deep contemplation.

Beyond the physical activity or tradition of decorating a tree, it can be a rich experience to reflect on its inner, mystical meaning. The symbol of the tree has represented many things through the ages—the evergreen of eternal life, the tree of life from the Garden of Eden, the living divine presence among us, or the Christ.  Paramahansa Yogananda referred to the “Christmas tree of meditation”, which encourages us to consider how it can relate to the inner experience of divine communion. The tree can represent the body with its spinal pathway, the channel for subtle energy to ascend as one awakens to Cosmic Consciousness, signified by the star at its apex. As we reflect on this mystical tree representing our inner life, we can think of the gifts of our pure intentions we would offer to God with love and devotion.

Practice:

After your meditation, set aside a time for visualization and contemplation. Inwardly envision a beautiful Christmas tree with a star shining on its top. Imagine yourself placing gifts of love and devotion around your inner tree. What would you most like to offer? What brings you great joy to give?

Contemplate:

The traditional "Christmas tree" is a very ancient custom which exalts the value of life, as in winter the evergreen becomes a sign of undying life. In general, the tree is decorated and Christmas gifts are placed under it…The message of the Christmas tree, therefore, is that life is "ever green" if one gives: not so much material things, but of oneself: in friendship and sincere affection, and fraternal help and forgiveness, in shared time and reciprocal listening. 
–Pope John Paul II

Reflect:

What am I called to give?

Third Week of Advent, Wednesday: Rise Up

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

Rise up nimbly and go on your strange journey to the ocean of meanings. The stream knows it can’t stay on the mountain.
    – Rumi

Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel is sometimes seen as a passive “let it be”, an opening to divine will without choice or deliberation. Yet, there are clues in the story that reveal active participation that can be seen as an act of intentional surrendered devotion. First, she questions the angel’s greeting that she is highly favored and blessed. What could that mean? She listens to the prophecy and again, questions. The angel tells her that what happens will be beyond her, “the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee.” Then he reveals that her elderly cousin Elizabeth has also conceived. After hearing these three announcements, after questioning and contemplating them, she responds: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be unto me according to thy word.”

What Mary does immediately after receiving this inspiration is indicative of faith—she acts on it. She quickly goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth. She’s inspired and moved to act. She ventures out with this new understanding. She moves into the world to meet her destiny as an active participant in it.

Mary didn’t know what would occur when she met with Elizabeth but she goes with faith based on her inner experience. Her choice to visit Elizabeth reveals and magnifies the awareness of the activity of divine grace in both of their lives. What inspiration can we draw from this part of the story? As Rumi says, “the stream knows it cannot stay on the mountain.” Spiritual inspiration is meant to be realized and expressed. When we are given a divine inspiration and take a step toward its expression, more is revealed to us, often astounding us with its expansive nature.

Practice:

Practice flexing your “inspiration muscles” by acting on insights that you recognize are in harmony with the highest good. Sometimes it is the inspiration to offer a kind word, give a gift of support or service, or to enter the temple of silent meditation. Many times, we are prone to ignore such inspiration. We recognize it as good, but tell ourselves we will get to it later. We then discover that “later” has passed and we have not acted upon the good we were inspired to do. Then the inspiration and its energy passes and we are left with a sense of regret, or missed opportunity.

Don’t let the opportunity for a blessing pass you by. Decide to act on at least one inspiration today.

Contemplate:

Be quick to do good.
If you are slow,
The mind, delighting in mischief,
Will catch you…
Set your heart on doing good.
Do it over and over again,
And you will be filled with joy. 
     –sayings of the Buddha from The Dhammapada (T. Byrom, trans.)

Reflect:

What am I inspired to do?

Third Week of Advent, Tuesday: Letting Go

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go… 
—Luke 2:15

Many of the Advent stories involve leaving home and venturing forth to meet the unknown. The change of seasons before us reflects the call to inner transformation. In the West, the muted landscape of late autumn is particularly beautiful. The stark contrast of the last deep colored leaves that remain on the deciduous trees against the dark grey skies announces: change is coming! With the support of the cold and the wind, the few remaining leaves drift, twirl, and dive toward earth. This exquisite dance of letting go is a prelude to the stillness of winter. The bare trees will work in silence, gather inner sustenance, and burst forth with wild green in the spring. The letting go must come first.

I suspect most of us could learn this very simple lesson from nature: letting go is essential. For us, it must happen on many levels—letting go of things we no longer use or need, letting go of old ideas that no longer serve us, and letting go of our attachments to particular outcomes. The deepest letting go is freeing ourselves from identification with the false self. The Buddha said, “You are as the yellow leaf…What will you take with you?”

The world of nature, which includes our bodies and our minds, constantly changes. Only our essential, spiritual nature remains. After the metaphor of the yellow leaf, the Buddha concluded, “All things arise and pass away. But the awakened awake forever.” Our venturing forth into the unknown is paradoxically to meet that which has always been and ever will be.

Practice:

Contemplate the nature of change in nature and in your life. How do you relate to change? Are you able to welcome it? Meditate until you experience That which does not change, the ground of being. How does the experience of changelessness affect our ability to move through life’s seasons and changes?

Contemplate:

God works without instrument and without image. And the freer you are from images the more receptive you are to [God’s] interior operation…the closer you are to it. All things must be forsaken. –Meister Eckhart

Reflect:

Am I trying to hold on to something that is ready to change? Am I willing to let go?

Third Week of Advent, Monday: In the Silence of the Soul

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

And thou shalt have joy and gladness... –Luke 1:14

Several of the scripture stories surrounding the birth of the Christ include themes of watching, waiting, and being self-contained. The story of Zacharias, the husband of Elizabeth and temple priest, who is visited by the angel Gabriel, is one. Viewed metaphysically, his story is about how divine insight is revealed to us when we are open to it and can wait in the silence for it to unfold.

The visitation of angels can be interpreted as divine ideas arising in the mental field. Gabriel represents conscious awareness of our divine identity and the infinite potential within us. When Gabriel visits Zacharias to announce that he and his aged wife Elizabeth will give birth to a child, Zacharias questions: how shall I know this?  This vision does not correspond with facts. It is not logical. Have you ever had a glimpse of divine possibility? Seen or been inspired to something beyond what you had ever considered possible? Perhaps like Zacharias, you may have thought, “how can I trust this inspiration?” “It doesn’t make sense.” When this occurs, what do we do? Do we embrace the inspiration? Or dismiss it?

When Zacharias expresses his doubt, Gabriel tells him that he will be struck mute, unable to speak about this revelation until it comes to pass. Taken literally, it might sound like punishment. Understood metaphysically, it signifies that spiritual inspiration is received in silence and cannot be put into words.

After Gabriel’s visitation, Zacharias leaves the temple and is met by the people waiting outside who wonder why he took so long. This “crowd of people” represents the ordinary thinking mind that can become restless after we’ve been meditating for awhile. Zacharias cannot tell them what has occurred because this level of consciousness, the sense mind, cannot comprehend what is experienced beyond words and thoughts. When we see into the heart of the story, we find the encouragement to allow spiritual insight to be nurtured in the silence of the soul, to avoid the temptation to too quickly take it into the realm of thought and reason. If we can let it be, we often find that greater clarity comes along with guidance for right action.

Practice:

The time spent in superconscious meditation can contribute to new insight, inspiration and creative energy. After a time resting in our essential spiritual nature beyond ordinary thought activity, we may notice insights arising. It can be tempting to abandon meditation and instead spend the time thinking about these new ideas. However, welcoming thoughts into the temple of meditation (no matter how creative they are) can easily become a habit that will undermine the ability to meditate deeply. Time spent in meditation is the occasion to trust that we can let go of grasping or working on anything and simply be present. Trust that any truly divine inspiration that arises will remain with you when you are done meditating.

Contemplate:

In the temple of silence, in the temple of peace, I will meet Thee, I will touch Thee, I will love Thee, and coax Thee to my altar of peace.   –chant by Paramahansa Yogananda

Reflect:

Am I willing to let inspiration unfold?

Third Week of Advent, Sunday: Our Divine Identity

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

And the angel came in unto her, and said, “Hail, thou that art highly favored...

–Luke 2:28

When the angel Gabriel appears to Mary to announce the coming birth of the Christ child, he does not address her by her given name. He doesn’t greet her as Mary but calls her “One Who Is Highly Favored” and “One Who Is Blessed Among Women”. It is an interesting greeting and it causes Mary to wonder. What kind of greeting is that, she says. She finds it curious, and unsettling. As we explore the metaphysical meaning, we see that she is being called to a new identity. Her consciousness is being transformed, and with that, her old identity.

When the revelation comes to her, it raises her up from old ideas and attachments. There is an immediate impact. We can note that she does not receive this inspiration at the level of ego, or personal identity. Her response is consistent with an opening to soul-knowing, with surrendered devotion to God. Imagine an inspiration that comes and says, “You Are Great! Most Highly Favored! God is with you.” If such an inspiration were to be received by the ego, the false self, it would be tempting to feel proud, and perhaps, even to boast about having a spiritual experience. However, Mary’s story is instructive of what occurs when the soul is completely receptive to the word, or the creative power, of God. She too finds another name for herself, saying, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord.”

This naming that takes place in the story, both from the angel, and from Mary, indicates the transformation of her identity. Before spiritual awakening, we tend to identify ourselves with our bodies, with our minds, and with the roles that we play. When our awareness is freed from involvement and identification with those patterns in the mind, it comes to rest in our essential nature which is divine. We experience That which we truly are—pure existence-being. We discover our true Self. One with the One, a new identity is ours.

Practice:

Pay attention to the ways you “name” yourself (and others) throughout the day. What kind of adjectives come into your mind in moments of self awareness? So often the names we inwardly utter are not consistent with our highest nature but our lowest—“O Absent Minded One!” or “You Who Lack Awareness”.

Cultivate your divine identity by refusing to name yourself in ways that pull you down. If you notice any self commentary that is not uplifting, change it by taking a moment to consider your true identity.

Contemplate:

At each stage of progressive awakening to authentic Self- and God-knowledge, the devotee’s new state of awareness must be harmoniously integrated with the mind, personality, and body. This process is most effectively accomplished by appropriate, conscious living every moment of each day.

–Roy Eugene Davis

Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

–teachings of Jesus, John 10:34

Reflect:

Who do I think I am? Who do I tell myself I am?

Second Week of Advent, Saturday: Expect Revelation

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

Scriptures of the world’s religions may be viewed from various perspectives and will yield different insights depending on the approach. The teachings in scripture can be applied to three levels of our being—physical, mental, and spiritual. Scripture can be seen as literal and historical as well as metaphoric and metaphysical.

The physical level of scripture relates to its historical context and literal meaning. It includes the time in history that it was written and what the context was at the time for those teachings. What happened, who wrote or recorded it, who was the intended reader, and what was its purpose?

The mental level includes the psychological and moral teachings. At this level we find instruction for living a moral and purposeful life according to spiritual principle as it is taught in a particular tradition. This is also a level open to image and metaphor where one can enter into more subtle teachings about the nature of mind and spirit.

The spiritual level conveys insight about spiritual principle and knowledge that is beyond word and thought. This requires us to contemplate, to imagine, and to enter the teaching experientially. At this level, scripture acts as a catalyst to open us to our innate wisdom.

One of the secrets of experiencing insight through studying scripture is to approach it with the expectation that wisdom will be revealed from within you. Spiritual truth is always eternal, never sectarian or new. We have the ability to know truth when we encounter it. We also have the ability to discern that which is not true. When studying scripture, be open to both experiences.

Scripture can provide an experience that connects us to the truth within us. Sometimes a useful passage will be one that we do not readily understand. This “not knowing” provides a space where deeper wisdom can arise. Be curious about the meaning and pray for it to be revealed to you. Expect that it will. All knowledge of God, and God’s creative processes, indwells you at the soul level of your being. Revelation is the unfolding of your innate soul knowledge.

Practice:

Read some passages of the scripture of your choice. Identify its physical, mental and spiritual levels. When you come to something that interests you but you do not fully understand, write about it. First write what you think it means. Then write your questions about it, and identify what you are grappling with.

After your meditation, when your mind is quiet, contemplate it. Examine it. Expect insight to be revealed. It may come to you in that moment. Or, as more frequently happens, it may surface at another time as clear understanding, like a puzzle piece falling into place.

Contemplate:

And those who err in spirit will come to understanding.

–Isaiah 29:24

Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?

–Tao te Ching

Reflect:

Can I approach scripture with an open heart and mind?

Am I willing to allow its spiritual meaning to be revealed to me?

Second Week of Advent, Friday: Divine Ideas

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

There are times when divine ideas or inspiration come to us unbidden. These ideas are often intuitive perceptions that arise when our minds are quiet and we are receptive. We feel, and recognize, them as inspiration, as glimpses of higher guidance. Sometimes they are simple urgings to act in the moment—to call a friend, to open a book. Other times, they can be life-changing directives. Like Mary in the gospel story, we might ask: What is this? How can this be?

In the scripture stories, these intuitive perceptions or divine ideas are delivered by angels. The angel Gabriel appears to Mary with the salutation: Greetings! Highly favored one! God is with you and you are blessed! When such stories are approached metaphysically, seeing the drama as an inner experience, an angel represents our intuitive faculty of soul-knowing. Through our intuition, we have the ability to know, to discern, and experience divine insights directly, rather than through our thought process which compares and considers. Intuition comes to us directly. By its very nature it announces to us, “God is with you as you are blessed with this direct insight.”

Intuition comes to us holistically; it comes in fullness which allows us to recognize it as true. We receive it with a felt sense that we recognize. We know that we know. Then we must find a way for that divine idea to take hold and be expressed. The moment that follows the revelation is crucial. How is it received? The thinking aspect of mind may enter and plant seeds of doubt. This doesn’t make sense, it might say. How would you ever accomplish such a thing? This isn’t realistic. And on it goes. If we follow the lead only of the thinking mind at this juncture, we will abandon the inspiration. Perhaps you have done that at some time. Many of us have disregarded our intuitive inspiration only to later comprehend how it should or could have been. I knew it! We declare. We had the inspiration but not sufficient faith to trust it.

Three things can support trusting our intuition. First, study the nature of divine inspiration to see how it works. It rarely comes to us with the kind of mundane detail we would like. Instead, it comes as knowing, as insight, which provides direction. It rarely says the how, why, when or where. Second, learn how to use rational thinking ability in support of intuition rather than allowing it to undermine it. At some point, our discernment and logic will be needed to help us chart our course. However, when inspiration is first received, it is not yet the time for that. It is not one or the other; we don’t have to discard reason in order to trust our intuition. Both ways of knowing are important and come into use at the right time. After we honor our intuition, receive it, and begin to move toward its guidance, then our skills of discernment can come in as support. Third we can observe that honoring “the angels of insight” gets better with faith in the One, and with practice.

Practice:

Be open to intuitive insight in great and small ways. As you cultivate greater silence and receptivity through your meditation practice, you will notice that you have more access to intuition. Expect that divine guidance, through your faculty of intuition, will arise. When it does, receive it. Take some time to simply be with it, “pondering it in your heart” as the scriptures tell us Mary did. This is just being with it, allowing it to be heard, received, and felt. Inwardly ask if there is anything for you to do to honor this insight with action. Sometimes the response is simply to wait with knowing and let it unfold, other times there is a first step to take.

Contemplate:

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to they word. And the angel departed from her.   –Luke 1:38

The mystic intuitively senses Reality and instinctively knows the Truth…Intuition is God in man, revealing to him the Realities of Being. – Ernest Holmes

Reflect:

Recall the times when you trusted your intuition and the times when you did not. What was your experience? Ask: What, if anything, prevents me from Self trust? How can I develop greater trust in my Self?

Second Week of Advent, Thursday: Silence

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

Those who practice meditation soon learn that silence is something much greater than not speaking words or the absence of sound. Once our attention and awareness moves beyond the spoken word and then beyond the subtle inner “noise” of sensation, thought, and feeling, and comes to rest in the center of our being, it is there that we discover true silence. We discover silence as empty of word, of sound, or image but full of presence. Silence emanates the existence of God within us. Deep silence, beyond words and thoughts, ushers us into the experience of oneness. The Sanskrit word for oneness or unity—samadhi—means “holding together” or “to bring together completely.” It refers to our ability to bring our attention and our awareness to rest in our essential nature as silent, eternal, unchanging, pure, existence-being. It means to be restored to wholeness, returning our awareness to its origin.

Several images from scripture, songs, and prayers of this season point to silence as the fertile ground from which the Christ Consciousness can be realized, or born. It is a “silent night” a “holy night” when the divine presence is revealed. The shepherds keep watch on their flocks in the stillness of the night when a divine revelation comes to them.

The first few verses of the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali offer instruction for the experience of silence that allows higher consciousness to be revealed to us and experienced by us. It tells us that samadhi occurs naturally when the mental field is silent—when the restless thought activity has subsided. No longer obscured by the modifications in the mental field, the true Self is revealed. Silent night, holy night—in silence, in wholeness, the true Self is known.

Practice:

When you meditate, intend to meditate superconsciously, to have your awareness restored to its original wholeness. The word “super” means “above or beyond.” To meditate superconsciously is to access a higher state of consciousness, beyond our ordinary fragmented state of awareness.

The key is to know that superconsciousness is natural to you. When we meditate, we are simply arranging conditions so that we can rest in the silent awareness of pure knowing.

Begin with the intention to enter the silence of superconsciousness. Initially use a technique such as observing the breath, or a mantra to focus your attention on one point. One-pointed concentration will quiet mental restlessness. As soon as you become aware of inner peace or silence, let go of the technique and let your awareness rest in the silence of your soul.

Contemplate:

In the heart

is a well, filled
with the sound
of silence.
Drink

from it.
One taste
 changes everything.

How do I know?
The day I stopped

sitting on the edge

and fell in,

told me this.   

            —Ellen Grace O'Brian, from The Sanctuary of Belonging

Reflect:

Silence is a quality of being that permeates the body and the mind. Let us ask ourselves: How silent am I? Do I welcome silence or try to drown it out? What does silence hold for me?

Second Week of Advent, Wednesday: Journey

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

One of the paradoxes of spiritual awakening is that it is often spoken of, and represented as, a journey. People rightfully ask: Why a journey? Why must we journey to arrive at a destination we never left to discover that which was always so? Yet journey is indeed a fitting description. While there is no physical journey required, a journey must be made in consciousness—from the darkness of ignorance to the light of truth. We journey to a higher state of conscious awareness, from being falsely identified with the body and mind to realizing our true nature as eternal Spirit. This journey is universal and is the trajectory of everyone’s life. We are all on this journey, whether we recognize it or not. It is the certain destiny of every person to realize the truth. Because our lives are inseparable from the life of God, what we truly are will be revealed. What is true does not remain hidden.

Mary and Joseph are required to journey to the city of Bethlehem during the tax season to pay their taxes. It seems that the reason for the journey is a mundane one. This brings to mind John Lennon’s observation: Life is what happens while we are busy making other plans. We engage in outer responsibilities, yet within us, in the sanctuary of our soul, the inner journey continues. This is significant for us to recognize. Always, regardless of what is occurring outwardly, the inner journey of Self- and God-realization is unfolding. When we recognize this, we can stay attuned to divine guidance. The outer and inner journeys become one.  

Practice:

Whatever you are doing today, recognize that the true “journey” you take is in God. Wherever you go and whatever you do is in, and with, divine support. Remember that the deeper purpose is Self-realization. Let that awareness infuse all that you do.

Use a prayer phrase to capture your attention such as:  “I am working in God.” “I am serving in God.” “I am walking in God.” “I am resting in Spirit.”

Contemplate:

Rise up nimbly and go on your strange journey to the ocean of meanings.

The stream knows it can't stay on the mountain. –Rumi

And so it was that while they were there,

the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  –Luke 2:6

Reflect:

How can I bring more awareness to the inner journey as I move through the activity of my days?

Second Week of Advent, Tuesday: Embody Truth

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

I cannot think of a more fitting image to portray the transformation that comes with spiritual awakening than birth—the divine revealing Itself in and through a human body. If we explore the Christmas story metaphysically, and imagine that all elements of the story signify some part of us, the birth of the divine in the stable is particularly inspiring. We can readily see that the crowed inn with no room for the divine birth represents our mind when it is too full of restless thoughts to allow any divine inspiration to arise. No birth, no divine inspiration, can be found there at that level of ordinary consciousness. But what are we to make of the stable where the birth takes place?

To discover more about this birthplace, imagine what it was like. Most of us have been in a barn or a stable at some point. What was it like? Some of the impressions we might recall are: damp, warm, smelly, full of the energy and sounds of animals, teeming with life, humble. We discover that these descriptors have much in common with the human body. The scriptures from many traditions point out that the body is the dwelling place of God. Yet many of us either ignore, abuse, or indulge the body, not giving it its proper due as the temple of Spirit.

The Lord of Love dwells in every heart. The body is the temple of Spirit. Advent invites us to reflect on our relationship with the body temple.

Practice: Include the physical body in your sadhana today—whether it is hatha yoga, tai chi, Qigong, massage, or simply going for a mindful walk in nature. Use your breath to enter the body temple and connect to prana, subtle energy. Feel the energy of your body and know it is alive with Spirit.

Contemplate:

Who is wise,
The eloquent or the quiet person?
Be quiet, and loving and fearless.
For the mind talks.
But the body knows.
     —Saying of the Buddha from the Dhammapada

Reflect: What is my relationship to my physical body? Do I honor and respect it as the temple of God? Is there a simple step toward caring for my body for me to take today?